WIP: Seeing Green

There was no planning whatsover in the series of WIPs I have for your perusal today.  What could it all mean (hehe chryoprase.  I'd never looked it up before but I knew all the trolls on the discworld were named afeter geological things. hehehehehehe)??  Ahem.  Well, green...

Green is the color of nature, fertility, life. Grass green is the most restful color. Green symbolizes self-respect and well being. Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth and harmony. Green is a safe color, if you don't know what color to use anywhere use green.

Hmm.  Alright.  Check out my projects and tell me if you think they are safe, harmonious or balanced??

A new project!  I've been trying not to buy anymore yarn, or start anymore projects, but its so goshdarn hard!!  wwwwaaaahhhhh STOP JUDGING ME K??  Anyways, after finishing a mammoth project last week, I think it's ok to mix it up a bit with something small.  I cast on a garter stitch hat on Sunday using some bulky Pander Amber, it's purdy eh?  I had the sudden urge to make a bunch of colourful hats for the niecicles so I bought this yarn.  

Ok, so I wanted something a bit more challenging than garter, but you must admit, nothing looks better in close up!

My Spongey Scarf.  How do I love thee?  Let me not count the ways because I really don't.  Ok I'm being harsh, but this yarn is very difficult for a newbie to work with.  It is soft though, I imagine it will be like having some sort of green furry animal wrapped around my neck, an idea which I find quite appealing.  I'm finding it easeir than I did at the start, which I think I have my new bamboo needles to thank for, but I just want this one over with. (wow I have blogged about this one 4 times.  It's a one skein scarf!  That seems a bit excessive.  I promise only one more post about this one - when it's finished!)

I dunno, I can't think of anything funny to say.  Just look at my knitting, k?

The Blissful Flowers Shawl.  Oh poor little shawl, you were kinda finished, but you just turned out too small.  Why did you do this to me little shawl, when you were supposed to be a birthday present for my Crochet Biatch Ange back in May.  You've made me look like an absolute ho little shawl, and for that you will be punished, by being subject to my miraculous crochet skills whereby I add two more rows of flowers to you ex post facto.  TAKE THAT!  (Sorry for the delay Ange!!)

Why oh why will you not photograph true to your colour?  Stop being so difficult!!

I haven't done much reading lately.  I do that, I go through a period where I must always have a book on the go, then I go off reading for a while.  I tried reading one of Cherie Priest's steampunk zombie books, which you'd think would be awesome right, but found it super boring.  So much potential, so poorly executed.  And I generally stick it out with anything!!

Instead, I've gone back to the tried and true Pratchett, and am kicking off reading all the witch books with Equal Rites.  It's read by Celia Imrie, who I think is my favourite Pratchett-reader yet!  Her Granny is devine, and I love how Esk sounds like a little girl.  And what a great book it is too!  I always forget how much I love every single Pratchett book when it's been so long between readings <3

Why have I included a picture of Angelina Jolie in a badly photoshopped witch's hat rather than a picture of the cover?   I dunno, Google told me to (via)



-Linking to-

WIP Wednesday (Tami's Amis)

WIP Wednesday (Ambassador Crochet)

Yarn Along (Small Things)
Keep Calm and Craft On {Crafting on} (Frontier Dreams)

***CATURDAY PLUG***

Just a reminder, every Saturday is Caturday at My Grandmotherly Ways, meaning I post awesome pictures of The Kitten maybe some other feline related stuff, and invite you to partcipate by linking up to a post about your feline friend! 

WIP: concerning crochet and knitting

A couple of new things to show you today.

In crochet, I am making my third Dahlia Shawl (see one and two).  This time for the birthday one of my crochet biatches (who I will tell you about another time). 

Great pattern.  I've not completely memorised it, but the bulk of it is the same, with different bits in the middle and at the ends.  I've made myself a little cheat sheet chart so I can easily refer to where I am, so I don't need to think very much.  My first time using 2ply wool, so I am looking forward to seeing this block up.

Finally found a pattern that inspired me enough to crack open the Zauberball I acquired a while back.  I do love me a bit of garter.  Gartergartergarter.  I made some good progress with this hithhiker at first, but progress has slowed when the rows got longer and other projects were beckoning.  But it's pretty eh?

If you're an avid reader of my blog (and I'm sure you are) you might remember the great CITY WATCH AUDIO BOOK CHALLENGE!  The last time I checked in at Yarn Along I was onto book 3 of 8.  I've now read 7/8, and have decided to save number 8 a little while longer, seeing as I just read it a little while ago. 

Super short reviews:

• Feet of Clay  - Loved it the second time around.  I found it wasn't particularly memorable, but there were some good Vetinary and Vimes exchanges which made me laugh.
• Jingo - Very humourous (and poss topical atm) look at racism. Vimes gets his big promotion in Jingo - one of the things I love about Vimes is his utter disdain at being part of this aristocracy. 
• The Fifth Elephant - Another great story, I love it when Vimes gets caught up in politics.
• Night Watch - Quite excellent.  Vimes transported back in time to become mentor to a young version of himself.  Wonderful. Almost love this one as much as Guards Guards.  Almost.
• Thud! - So great, I especially loved Vimes' sentiment around being a father, and his evaluation of what's important.  I also read Where's My Cow.  Also love the "Gooseberry".

In between, for a little break, I read Going Postal and Making Money.  Both are really fantastic books, fast paced and very funny.  I'm becoming a bigger Vetinari fan too.  And Moist is super likeable.  I picked up the screen adaptation of Going Postal which I think is the best representation of Pratchett on screen yet.  Ankh Morpork was portrayed perfectly! 


via

Although I've already read all the Discworld books, I just cant get enough of Pratchett right now, so I'm going to re-read all of them by listening to all of the Pratchett audiobooks.  I've now started the Death books.  Mort is brilliant so far (duh), really love it!  Death going fly-fishing, fiction doesn't get better than that!
So, yeah,  WIPs at Tami's Amis and Yarn Along with Ginny!

WIP! Blue and green should never be seen..

I can't find the origin to that saying.  Apparently it might be 'red and green should never be seen' but I hadn't heard that one before!

So, my WIP I'm showing this week is a quickie little hat I am whipping up for a friend's son.  He's 18 months, so hopefully I get the sizing right.  I have no children to test it on so I am going by what this website says.


Action commuter shot.

The pattern is Cheri Hat.  Easy peasy, what you see here is the result of three train rides, so only an hour and a half of work.  I'm not cutting the yarn for each stripe, but just pulling it up from the last row.  It's on the underside so I'm sure it will be fine.  I'm using this bamboo/cotton yarn, which is ridiculously splitty but lovely and soft and perfect for a littlies head.

I haven't made many hats.  What's wrong with me?  They're so quick and easy!  I think I need to get a bit more hatty in the future!

I'm still progressing my with the CITY WATCH AUDIO BOOK CHALLENGE!  (Part 1 here, Part 2 here).  Now onto Book 3:  Feet of Clay.  I'm finding this a weaker story than the first two books.  Still enjoyable, but I'm not engaging as much as I usually do.  Though Carrot's loveable isn't he?  Very much looking forward to getting onto the second half of this challenge.. there are some good stories in there!!

The City Watch Audio Book Challenge.  Progress:  Book 3 - Feet of Clay. 

Quick quote from Feet of Clay:
'It's time to-'
'Prod buttock, sir?' said Carrot, hurriedly.
'Close,' said Vimes, taking a deep drag and blowing out a smoke ring, 'but no cigar.'

Hehe.

Make sure you check out more WIPs at Tami's Amis and Yarn Along at Small Things!

WIP - Poe-tay-toe?

Hiya.  As usual, many more WIPs for me than Fins... I've started two more things this week. 

Numero one.  I've been getting my amigurumi on.  Woo!  I won't tell you what it is yet.. can you guess?

I've been told it looks like a potato.  Hence the title to my post, which reminds me of this LOTR scene. Well, it didnt really happen like that but you get my gist. 

via (Also, all you whovians out there, have you seen this cool pic of Space Gandalf? hehe)

Numero two. My mother had this brainwaive of making the three grandchildren (my nieces) a little cardi each for chrissy.  I've been trying to teach her to crochet, but she is quite absent minded and doesn't like following patterns.  So I've been told I need to make three of these by Christmas.  Below is progress on the first one, I think I have about 5 rows to go, and only a couple of hours work.  Easy Peasy!  The pattern is Urban Girl Cropped Cardi.  I'm using Carnival Soft 8ply, just an acrylic, but look at the size of the ball it comes it!! Aieeee!  I have to carry this mother on the train!

An onto the CITY WATCH AUDIO BOOK CHALLENGE!  (Part 1 here)  I am now onto book 2:  Men at Arms.  I believe I have only read this once, so it is lovely to go over it again.  I'm really terrible with books, after finishing one I forget the detail right away.  I am generally only left with an impression of whether or not I liked the book, and a couple of images that really stuck with me. In this case it's largely Carrot and Angua.  There isn't as much Vimes as in Guards Guards, but its still very good to see how he is developed.  And of course Sybil.  Love Sybil. 



The City Watch Audio Book Challenge.  Progress:  Book 2 - Men at Arms.

And finally, here's a cool Pratchett flowchart I found on Pinterest!  A handy little tool if you're interested in Discworld and don't know where to start!  Because of this list I found out that I'd missed the short stories!  Shameful, I know.  You can read Theatre of Cruelty here, it has a funny exchange between Carrot and Death.  Perhaps I will re-read the Death books next...


linky

Remember to stop by Tami's Amis and Yarn Along for more yarny and literary delights!